PARENTS WANT 'REAL FACTS'
Micah Schindler's camouflage Air Force uniform and dirty black boots sit neatly by the fireplace. The nearly three-month-old message his parents never wanted to hear about their son remains on the answering machine.

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Maybe, I thought, I'll finally find out what all that burping was about. Perhaps some discussion of the Pie Taker vs. the Dip 'n Serve. Or at the very least, I was hoping to get party tips to use for the holidays. Consumers picky about 2000 mementos
If there's a product to be sold between now and New Year's Eve, expect to see a Year 2000 logo on it. Mrs. Clinton here collecting
Hillary Rodham Clinton will make a quick trip to Cincinnati today to raise money for her campaign for a New York U.S. Senate seat. 'Coach' arrested for rape of boy
Until recently, students at Gulf Coast Christian Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla., knew Roy Puckelwartz as Coach.Even while under investigation in the 1993 rape of a 13-year-old boy at Midwestern Children's Home, the former foster care worker managed to avoid detection and move on to other jobs involving children. Luken: Council's 'plate is full'
After a day of ceremony, a new Cincinnati City Council took office Wednesday with a new-old mayor, two fresh faces and a plate full of difficult issues to deal with over the next two years. Noted fathers on sidelines as sons, daughter take office
Anyone who doubts the old saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree needed to be in City Council chambers Wednesday as Charlie Luken, Pat DeWine and Alicia Reece became the newest Cincinnati City Council members. 34-year-old memory lost, found in sewer
In the waste that fills Cincinnati's sewers, workers found a Detroit man's long-lost treasure. Area guardsmen headed to Kuwait
BLUE ASH  They will head out in less than two weeks, saying goodbye to family, friends, even employers, as they spend the holidays and the next four months of their lives in the Middle East. Hamilton takes cameras to streetsHAMILTON  This city is going high-tech in the low-tech activity of watching the streets. Plans for Hustler store gain momentumMONROE  Plans to put a Hustler mega-store here are gaining steam. Put yourself in historic photograph
In coming weeks, Enquirer photographers will take pictures at four well-known locations throughout the Tristate. Everyone in those communities is invited. Schools' zero tolerance debated
Zero-tolerance policies are sparking discussion around the Tristate as parents and educators debate whether the anti-school violence measures are too strict. Teachers union complains about substitute hiring
Nearly 100 Cincinnati Public Schools teachers are long-term substitutes not certified to teach the subjects or grades they're teaching, according to a study by the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT) that will be released today. Adamowski contract extension too early
Cincinnati Board of Education members goofed when they agreed in September to add a year to Superintendent Steven Adamowski's contract. Addressing ADD at home
Gabe McMahan's nighttime chores are tacked prominently on the kitchen wall every night, a list of tasks to help him keep the next-morning's school routine smooth and manageable. What is attention deficit disorder?ADD parents' challenge: Focus on practical ideasJim Knippenberg columnStenger's owner tosses in the towel
Can this possibly be true? Stenger's Cafe without Leo Sunderman? Something everybody in the world thought would never happen. GET TO IT
A guide to help make your day.Holiday TV schedule
It's time to make your Christmas TV list  but check it twice. This schedule of holiday TV programs may change, so consult your daily listings. Patrick Crowley columnEx-mayor may be headed back to council
It looks like former Villa Hills Mayor Denny Stein is coming back to City Council. 2 new schools would use up much of bondUNION TOWNSHIP  Construction of a junior school and an elementary school would use up more than half of the proceeds of a bond issue that Lakota district voters will decide next March. Addyston fire dept. closed amid questionsADDYSTON  As council members ordered an independent investigation Tuesday night into alleged fumbles and failures at the fire department, Fire Chief Lonis Dunklin marched up to the mayor's house and resigned. Arts galore offered at MiamiOXFORD  The Miami marimba players who performed for William Albin's Music 185 class Monday weren't just demonstrating a combination of rhythm patterns. They were drumming up an audience for their concert next week. Boone Co. commissioner to commute out of state for jobBURLINGTON  After weeks of rumors about a job change, Boone County Commissioner Rob Arnold will soon announce that he will commute out of state a few days a week for his job. Campbell boosts tax cap
ALEXANDRIA  Campbell County Fiscal Court approved Wednesday night a 60 percent increase in the county's license/payroll tax cap to $372.50 annually. Don't cut local inspections of nursing homes, city told
The Cincinnati health commissioner is opposing a proposal to cut nursing home and day care inspections as a way to help balance the city budget. Estate true to holidays of pastAURORA  Historic Veraestau estate has no twinkling lights this holiday season, no Christmas tree or tinsel. Neither greeting cards nor gifts are around. And that's how it should be. Holiday fun galore in Warren Co.
Two camels showed up early for holiday festivities in Mason. The dromedaries, on loan from Tom Smith Exotics of Kokomo, Ind., will join local livestock for a live Nativity scene that's part of Motorola Presents the Cincinnati Bell Wireless Holiday Fest at The Beach Waterpark. Industrial cleanup agency gets boost from chamber
The agency responsible for cleaning up abandoned industrial areas and turning them into usable sites for business will receive most of its funding next year  more than $100,000  from the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Jury sorting out school case
Is former Talawanda schools Superintendent Dennis Leone a vindictive ogre who so intimidated a Somerville couple that he violated their First Amendment right to criticize his actions? Lebanon reaches deal to swap sites for complexLEBANON  City council appears to have a plan to relocate a controversial proposed apartment complex from near Deerfield Road to another site, but some council members are balking at the potential cost. Man acquitted of murder charge
A man who faced life in prison on a murder charge is free today after a jury concluded he acted in self-defense during a shooting last year in Over-the-Rhine. Mayor replaces state rep hopeful FOREST PARK  The city will start the new millennium with a new mayor, while the old one embarks on a campaign for the Ohio House of Representatives. McCurley new mayor of Mason MASON  As a young boy playing in the streets of Mason, John McCurley never dreamed he would be a member of City Council, let alone mayor. Murder-suicide suspected SOUTH LEBANON  A mother of three is dead after a murder-suicide Wednesday that deputies said appears to have been committed by a Warren County Jail inmate who violated his Thanksgiving furlough. N.Ky. museum tweaks, delays expansionCOVINGTON  Problems with unstable soil have prompted the Behringer-Crawford Museum to redesign its planned addition, which will delay construction until spring. Sides at trial describe killingHAMILTON  The attorneys for Manuel Ramirez Garcia said Wednesday that he shot Jose Juan Hernandez in self-defense on June 25 on a Hamilton street. Suspect who left hospital caughtOXFORD TOWNSHIP  A London, Ky., man who led Fort Mitchell police on a chase after he fled during a routine traffic stop last month is back in police custody. TRISTATE DIGESTBATAVIA  A Felicity man faces trial on two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, a month after a car crash in which his two passengers were killed. S P E C I A L F E A T U R E SOn guard, online
Deby Weik's computer sits in her family's great room for all the world to see. With four children online, she and her husband can keep a watchful eye as their kids surf the Internet. Filtering software varies - here's 4 of the bestInternet safety resource guidesKids' rules for online safetyTips for parentsSQUASH THE Y2K BUG
With less than three months to go, Y2K worries may not be someone else's problem anymore.
Fortunately, there are a host of Web sites offering news, advice and diagnostic software.
 City steps up Y2K awareness pushEDITORIAL: Sex-ed: Who's in control?
Our editorials about sex education in Ohio schools have ignited a brush-fire that is turning up the heat on state officials. The sex-ed plan is also making national news as other states discover a disturbing link to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Tornado of '99 Complete coverage of the April 9 tornado that claimed four lives and left hundreds homeless. Focal Point
We're proud to showcase the work of Enquirer photographers at enquirer.com/focalpoint
Click through 60 images from the past year.
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